Old High's Kelley brothers confounding opponents

Ivy and Ivory Kelley already look alike, the way twin brothers are expected to look. Then put a helmet and shoulder pads on them and try to tell them apart.

Even with different jersey numbers, it takes numerous glances at a roster to figure out which Kelley brother just made a play for Wichita Falls High’s defense.

“Ivy Kelley on the tackle. No, that was Ivory. Wait, I had it right the first time.”

Those sentences may have been uttered at least once on a WFISD YouTube broadcast of an Old High home game.

And the wrong brother has definitely been credited with a tackle or interception on social media.

There’s a good chance the wrong brother will be misidentified again when the Coyotes host Graham in non-district action at 7 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Stadium.

It’s safer to just say, “Kelley was in on the play,” given that one, or both, of the brothers are so often around the ball. They’re the Coyotes’ top two leading tacklers playing in a loaded WFHS secondary. Ivy is currently the area’s leading tackler with 63, while Ivory has 45.

That’s what makes it hard to tell the brothers apart on the field – their playing style is very similar.

“If you didn’t know their numbers, you wouldn’t know they were two different players,” WFHS coach Grant Freeman said. “Even when we break down film, we have to double check to see which one made the play sometimes. They’re just so alike.

“I’ve been around a lot of twins. Eventually, you can tell them apart. These two kids, you can’t tell them apart other than their numbers. They’re harder to identify on the field than off it.”

On Friday, the media weren’t the only ones struggling to keep track of the Kelley twins. Iowa Park had the same issue.

Ivy finished the Coyotes’ 34-7 victory with 18 tackles and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Ivory notched 11 tackles, an interception and forced two fumbles. The brothers spearheaded a WFHS defensive effort that forced Iowa Park into seven turnovers.

“It’s fun being out there together,” Ivy said. “It’s like having a teammate who lives at home with you. We practice together, but then we go home together.”

“I’d say we work well together,” Ivory said. “We try to cause a lot of turnovers like we did tonight.”

Like nearly everything else they do together, getting turnovers and tackles is a competition for the brothers. One is always trying to outperform the other.

It was Ivy outdoing Ivory on Friday, but Ivory has bested his brother on the tackle sheet in two games this season.

Old High’s defense has been a strong point for the Coyotes this season, as it should be with 10 starters back on that side of the ball. That includes everybody in the secondary, with seniors Ayden Ramirez and Lupe Anguiano joining the Kelleys in the defensive backfield. The Coyotes also consider their outside linebackers as part of the secondary, so add sophomore Cameron Jones and senior Guy Izaguirre to that mix.

And the Coyote secondary has made opponents pay for consistently testing them. Old High has 11 interceptions in five games this season with that foursome accounting for seven.

But film study may not help with identifying what the Coyotes are doing in secondary.

“What’s unique about that group is they are all flexible pieces. All seven of those guys can play safety, corner or outside backer in our scheme,” Freeman said. “It’s an interesting combination because we almost go with matchups on a week to week basis.

“Like Guy has played a lot of safety, and Ayden has been at cornerback the last couple weeks. But they both have started at other positions, too. We move them around to get the best out of them. You talk about being able to move puzzle pieces around to fill out the right picture, but it’s like we’ve got more than one piece to fit in several places to make it work.”

Even when backed up against its own goal line, Old High has shown a penchant for forcing turnovers and denying points. The Coyotes had two interceptions in the end zone against Iowa Park, including one by Ivy.

“You’ve just got to trust your teammates,” Ivy said. “I trust that they’re doing their job, so I’m going to do mine.”

Right now, Ivy leads his brother in tackles and interceptions. But Ivory doesn’t plan on it being that way for long.

“He got two interceptions (against Iowa Park), so I’ll need to go get two (against Graham),” Ivory said. “I’ve got to catch up in tackles, too. He just makes me want to go harder and try to beat him.”

And that’s a dangerous combination for Old High opponents.

GRAHAM at WFHS

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday, Memorial Stadium

Live updates: Follow @Hull_TRN, @CoryHogueSports and @Naomi_TRN on Twitter. Listen on 94.9 FM or network1sports.com/station/wfcoyotes. Watch on the WFISD YouTube channel.

Records: Graham 3-2; WFHS 3-2.

Last game: Graham 59, Mineral Wells 14; WFHS 34, Iowa Park 7

Last meeting: WFHS 45, Graham 0 (1951); WFHS leads all-time series 21-2.

Players to watch: Graham, Rylan Monsey (RB, So.), Ty Thompson (QB, So.), Zathin Reyes (DB, Sr.); WFHS, Cameron Gould (RB/LB, Sr.), John Ledesma (QB, Sr.), Ayden Ramirez (WR/DB, Sr.).

The rundown: This is the first meeting between Wichita Falls High and Graham since 1951. The two programs played 23 times between 1915 and 1951, according to lonestarfootball.net, spending a decade in the same district. Graham won the first ever meeting, 13-0, and then again in 1934, 19-18. The Coyotes won 16 straight before the series was dissolved. … Both teams moved to 3-2 after convincing wins last week. Graham has played two of Old High’s District 4-4A Division I foes, losing to Springtown, 35-13, and routing Mineral Wells, 59-14. The Coyotes and Steers share a similar opponent in Iowa Park. Graham defeated the Hawks, 31-17, while Old High beat Iowa Park, 34-7, last week. … Graham features the area’s leading rusher in sophomore Rylan Monsey, who has 609 yards and five TDs on 65 carries in four games. Sophomore quarterback Ty Thompson has been more efficient in his second season starting, completing 62 of 114 passes for 865 yards, 13 TDs and two interceptions. Graham’s defense is allowing 27.4 points per game. … Old High’s first-year starting quarterback John Ledesma has completed 61 of 104 passes for 1,083 yards, 11 TDs and three interceptions. The Coyotes feature a three-man committee at running back led by senior Cameron Gould (54-448, seven TDs). Freshman Eric Powell (52-289, two TDs) has also been productive, while sophomore Jordan Mitchell is working back into the rotation after missing a couple games. Old High is allowing 32.6 points per game.

PigskinPrep.com says: WFHS by 8.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls High football twin brothers Ivy and Ivory Kelley